Project Management Step by Step: How to Plan and Manage a Highly Successful Project

Using external contractors and companies on your project

In many projects you may end up using staff who do not work for your business as part of the project team. The use of contractors, consultants and third party suppliers is common to projects. These external contractors may have specialist skills, provide some service you do not know how to do yourself, or may simply be an additional resource to get over any shortages you have whilst running the project.

For individual contractors, you should manage them as you would any other member of the project team. There are many advantages and disadvantages of using a contractor compared to a colleague who works for the same business as you. As the project manager, you generally have a little more ...